COMPTIA SECURITY+ / STUDY RESOURCE Make the acronyms familiar.
Understand what each one does.

Security+ exam questions frequently use acronyms without explanation, assuming you know that SIEM means Security Information and Event Management or that AAA refers to Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting. This comprehensive guide covers every essential acronym you'll encounter, organized by domain and usage context.

Key points for your next step

Security+ tests knowledge of 100+ cybersecurity acronyms covering authentication (MFA, SSO, SAML), attacks (DDoS, APT, XSS), protocols (TLS, IPsec, LDAP), and operations (SIEM, SOC, IDS). Mastering these terms is essential—many exam questions assume familiarity with abbreviations without spelling them out.

Core Acronyms

100+

Exam Coverage

All 5 Domains

Study Priority

High

Question Types

All Formats

Exam reference: SY0-701 has up to 90 questions in 90 minutes and uses a scaled 750/900 passing score. Use the current CompTIA objectives. Study durations and practice percentages here are planning examples, not requirements or pass guarantees. Provider and regional prices change; confirm current costs before purchase.

Retake policy · Renewal routes · CE fees

SY0-701 retirement: English ends June 11, 2027; Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai end August 13, 2027. Check the official exam page before booking and choose resources for your exam version.

Cryptography Acronyms

Cryptography is one of the most technical domains on Security+. You need to know not just what each algorithm does, but whether it's symmetric, asymmetric, or hashing — and appropriate key sizes.

Encryption Algorithms:

• AES: Advanced Encryption Standard – symmetric encryption (128/192/256-bit)
• RSA: Rivest-Shamir-Adleman – asymmetric encryption algorithm
• ECC: Elliptic Curve Cryptography – efficient asymmetric encryption
• 3DES: Triple Data Encryption Standard – legacy symmetric encryption
• SHA: Secure Hash Algorithm – cryptographic hash function family
• MD5: Message Digest 5 – weak hash algorithm (avoid for security)

Key Management:

• PKI: Public Key Infrastructure – certificate management system
• CA: Certificate Authority – issues digital certificates
• CRL: Certificate Revocation List – invalid certificate list
• OCSP: Online Certificate Status Protocol – real-time certificate validation
• HSM: Hardware Security Module – secure key storage device
• KMS: Key Management System – encryption key lifecycle management

Digital Signatures:

• DSA: Digital Signature Algorithm – digital signature standard
• HMAC: Hash-based Message Authentication Code – message integrity verification

Governance, Risk & Compliance Acronyms (Domain 5 — 20%)

Frameworks & Standards:

• NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology – security frameworks
• ISO: International Organization for Standardization – global standards
• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation – EU privacy law
• HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – healthcare privacy
• PCI DSS: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard – credit card security
• SOX: Sarbanes-Oxley Act – financial reporting requirements

Risk Management:

• GRC: Governance, Risk, and Compliance – integrated management approach
• RA: Risk Assessment – identifying and evaluating risks
• BIA: Business Impact Analysis – criticality assessment
• ALE: Annual Loss Expectancy – expected yearly loss from risks
• SLE: Single Loss Expectancy – loss from single incident
• ARO: Annual Rate of Occurrence – incident frequency estimate

Policies & Procedures:

• AUP: Acceptable Use Policy – approved system usage guidelines
• SLA: Service Level Agreement – performance expectations contract
• MOU: Memorandum of Understanding – non-binding agreement
• NDA: Non-Disclosure Agreement – confidentiality contract
• ISA: Interconnection Security Agreement – secure system connections

Security Fundamentals Acronyms

Core Security Principles:

• CIA: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability – the three pillars of information security
• AAA: Authentication, Authorization, Accounting – access control framework
• DAD: Disclosure, Alteration, Destruction – threats to CIA triad

Authentication & Access:

• MFA: Multi-Factor Authentication – using multiple verification methods
• SSO: Single Sign-On – one login for multiple applications
• SAML: Security Assertion Markup Language – XML-based authentication standard
• OAuth: Open Authorization – delegated access authorization framework
• LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol – directory services protocol
• RADIUS: Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service – network authentication
• TACACS+: Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System Plus – Cisco authentication
• PAM: Privileged Access Management – controlling elevated permissions

Identity Management:

• IAM: Identity and Access Management – managing user identities and permissions
• RBAC: Role-Based Access Control – permissions based on job roles
• ABAC: Attribute-Based Access Control – permissions based on attributes
• MAC: Mandatory Access Control – security label-based access
• DAC: Discretionary Access Control – owner-controlled permissions

Threats and Attacks Acronyms

Attack Types:

• DDoS: Distributed Denial of Service – overwhelming systems from multiple sources
• DoS: Denial of Service – overwhelming a system to prevent legitimate access
• APT: Advanced Persistent Threat – sophisticated, long-term targeted attacks
• XSS: Cross-Site Scripting – injecting malicious scripts into web pages
• CSRF: Cross-Site Request Forgery – tricking users into malicious actions
• SQLi: SQL Injection – injecting SQL code into database queries
• RCE: Remote Code Execution – running code on remote systems
• MITM: Man-in-the-Middle – intercepting communications between parties
• RAT: Remote Access Trojan – malware enabling remote system control

Malware & Threats:

• IOC: Indicator of Compromise – evidence of security breach
• IOA: Indicator of Attack – evidence of ongoing attack
• TTPs: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures – attacker methodologies
• CVE: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures – vulnerability identification system
• CVSS: Common Vulnerability Scoring System – vulnerability severity rating
• CWE: Common Weakness Enumeration – software weakness catalog

Network Security Acronyms

Network Devices & Protocols:

• IDS: Intrusion Detection System – monitors and alerts on threats
• IPS: Intrusion Prevention System – monitors and blocks threats
• WAF: Web Application Firewall – protects web applications
• NGFW: Next-Generation Firewall – advanced firewall with deep inspection
• UTM: Unified Threat Management – all-in-one security appliance
• NAC: Network Access Control – endpoint compliance enforcement

Encryption & Protocols:

• TLS: Transport Layer Security – secure communications protocol
• SSL: Secure Sockets Layer – predecessor to TLS (deprecated)
• IPsec: Internet Protocol Security – secure IP communications
• VPN: Virtual Private Network – encrypted network tunnels
• SSH: Secure Shell – encrypted remote access
• SFTP: SSH File Transfer Protocol – secure file transfer
• HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure – encrypted web traffic

Network Architecture:

• DMZ: Demilitarized Zone – network buffer between internal and external
• VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network – logical network segmentation
• NAT: Network Address Translation – IP address mapping
• SDN: Software-Defined Networking – programmable network infrastructure
• SASE: Secure Access Service Edge – cloud-delivered security

Security Operations Acronyms

Security Monitoring:

• SIEM: Security Information and Event Management – log collection and analysis
• SOC: Security Operations Center – centralized security monitoring team
• SOAR: Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response – automated incident response
• EDR: Endpoint Detection and Response – endpoint threat monitoring
• XDR: Extended Detection and Response – cross-platform threat detection
• MDR: Managed Detection and Response – outsourced threat monitoring

Incident Response:

• IR: Incident Response – handling security incidents
• CSIRT: Computer Security Incident Response Team – incident handling team
• CERT: Computer Emergency Response Team – security incident coordination
• BCP: Business Continuity Plan – maintaining operations during disruption
• DRP: Disaster Recovery Plan – restoring operations after disaster
• RTO: Recovery Time Objective – maximum acceptable downtime
• RPO: Recovery Point Objective – maximum acceptable data loss

Vulnerability Management:

• VM: Vulnerability Management – identifying and remediating weaknesses
• PT: Penetration Testing – authorized security testing
• VA: Vulnerability Assessment – identifying security weaknesses

More study tips

Create flashcards with acronym on front, full name and definition on back.

Group acronyms by domain—studying in context improves retention.

Focus on acronyms that appear in multiple domains (CIA, AAA, SIEM).

Practice writing out full names from acronyms without looking.

Associate acronyms with real-world scenarios you might encounter.

Review acronyms daily for 10 minutes—spaced repetition works.

Mistakes to check for

Confusing similar acronyms like IDS vs IPS, SIEM vs SOAR.

Memorizing acronyms without understanding what they actually do.

Ignoring context—same acronym can mean different things.

Skipping less common acronyms that still appear on the exam.

Not connecting acronyms to practical security scenarios.

Study note

The exam uses acronyms naturally, as security professionals would in daily work. Questions assume you know that configuring "NAC policies" means Network Access Control, not something else. Fluency with acronyms is non-negotiable for passing.

Test Your Security+ Knowledge

Practice with questions that use real exam acronyms in context.